There are a number of different types of garment hangers that are used to hold a number of different articles of clothing or other types of articles, such as linens or other household fabrics. Typically, garment hangers are either formed of a plastic material or a metal material or a combination thereof. Not only do garment hangers come in a variety of different sizes but they also come in a number of different styles which have different types of construction to accommodate different articles which are carried by the hangers.
For example, one type of garment hanger construction is designed to secure knitwear, blouses, slips, strapped garments, including dresses and lingerie. Another type of garment hanger construction is designed to also secure blouses, dresses and other light garments, while another type of garment hanger is designed to secure heavier knitwear, blouses, pants and light weight pant suits. Yet another type of garment hanger is designed to secure coats, jackets and outerwear. The foregoing types of garment hangers can be generally classified as being top garment hangers, while another class of garment hangers is pant hangers, which are those hangers that are designed to secure pants, skirts, and other outfits together. Often times, pant hangers incorporate some type of clamping mechanism to securely grasp and hold the articles of clothing. One will appreciate that there are even more types of garments hangers (e.g., bra/panty hanger) that are intended for particular applications. It will be appreciated that clamp type hangers are not limited to pant hangers but rather a large number of other types of hangers utilize clamps to grip and hold the cloths.
A common problem associated with today's clamp type garment hangers is that the garments slip through the clamp assemblies and then fall onto the ground at an unacceptable frequency. The garment may slip through the clamps fairly soon after being clamped or the garment may fall after being initially held by the clamps for a short period but in either event, the result is unsatisfactory in that the garment falls to the ground. The problem is particularly annoying when expensive, fine clothing is the article which falls from the clamps onto the ground where it becomes soiled or perhaps damaged.
In order to overcome this problem, garment hangers have been constructed such that the clamp type garment hangers have clamps that have rough surfaces or sharp edges as a part thereof for gripping of the garment. While this may yield some satisfactory results, the rough surfaces of the clamps can do damage to delicate fabrics that are gripped by the clamps. For example, silks or linens can become damaged when they are held between the clamps due to the makeup of these fabrics. This is unacceptable not only to the owners of the fabric articles but also to manufacturers and retailers who ship and then display the fabric articles, respectively, for purchase by consumers.
It is therefore desirable to provide a garment hanger that is constructed so that a clamp assembly thereof has a clamping surface that is both smooth to the touch and has the ability to positively grip the garments for extended period of time.